Future Pocket P2P - Discreet Data Sharing?

zilym writes "Think about a class of portable devices that include storage space, wireless networking (ala 802.11b), and user loadable Software. For these devices, why not implement a protocol for adhoc, wireless data sharing (Pocket P2P)? This is what I'm imagining... Lots of people carry around Pocket P2P devices hidden in their car, backpack, purse, pocket, handglider, whatever. Normally these devices stay half dormant, listening to see if another Pocket P2P device is in range. When one or more Pocket P2P's get within range of each other, they automatically trade their data store with each other." This is a keen glance at the future with enormous consequences -- unless copyright law is drastically extended, a clever hardware hack a decade from now could be the Model A to Napster's Model T. Are we living in the ten-year bubble before the collapse of entertainment media copy prevention?

"IMHO this vehicle for data sharing would be very discreet, anonymous, and unstoppable. Your ISP would not be involved, so they can't block your traffic. In a sufficiently crowded area of people, it would be difficult to pick out someone transmitting data and nearly impossible to locate person(s) storing a copy of said data. Pocket P2P transfers would be local and spontaneous in nature, so an organization trying to stamp it out would essentially need enforcement spying everywhere, equipped with RF detection and triangulation tools.

The devices for doing this already exist, albeit in slightly suboptimal forms (laptops, palmtops, and PDAs). However, it should not be impossible for enterprising engineers to eventually build more specialized devices toward this goal."

Technological predictions are fun and easy. Ethernet NICs cost $100 ten years ago and $10 now; 802.11b cards cost about $100 now and might cost $10 in 2012. So by then, will some entrepreneur be able to build an MP3 storage/playback device with wireless capability for $50 or $60? Think "Sony Walkman that trades music with whatever other devices are around."

The hard part is legal predictions. Right now the entertainment industry is trying hard to reduce the power of fair-use exceptions to copyright law, and thereby expand their own power. And they've made their key weapons things like the DMCA and the doctrine of "contributory copyright infringement" -- going after not music's fans, but the corporations that enable music sharing. The corporations that provide your access become the bottleneck that the copyright holders can control.

But suppose someone released a Walkman-sized, cheap MP3 player that had a wireless network card used to download (legitimately acquired) MP3s from your computer? It's not Napsteresque; it's like Apple's doohickey, except it connects wirelessly. That's all.

And then suppose it turned out that a simple command given from that computer could trivially put your player into a promiscuous, music-sharing mode?

The device need not connect to the internet (perhaps it can't) -- it talks to whatever other devices are around. "I like Jimmy Buffett, anyone got any Jimmy Buffett? I'll trade it for some Wayne Newton." A short-range hardware Gnutella. Set some parameters, go for a walk in a public park, come home with some new music. Pass it along.

(Your problem becomes spam -- come home from the park with ad jingles disguised as Jimmy Buffett... better to trade at parties with people who are friends of friends...)

This would surely stretch "fair use" to the breaking point -- but the question becomes, what part of the chain would the copyright holders be able to attack?

Comments

P2P conference coming up

[Sick Boy]

O'Reilly did a conference on this, "Using Two-way Pagers as Peer-to-peer Devices"
, done by previously reported about "brian d foy". The link is here. I wasn't able to attend, but it sounds like just what this article is talking about. Mayhap brian has notes posted somewhere.

Already being done...

[SpookComix]

IMHO this vehicle for data sharing would be very discreet, anonymous, and unstoppable.

Hate to break it to you, folks, but this is already being done. It's called the Gaydar.

No, this is not a troll, and this is not a joke. Check the link.

--SC

Model T

[mangu]

The Model T came before the Model A. First picking of that nit.

Bluetooth anyone?

[freitasm]

Good idea... Already implemented as Bluetooth. Some of BT Profiles implement File Sharing, Information Sync, OBEX, PPP over Ethernet.

The device is a small radio, costs nothing to make, buy stack from a range of different sources, works with PDA, Desktops/Notebooks (PCMCIA or USB), cellphones, headsets, Stereo/Receivers, what else?

We have this already!

There's already a kids game available that does it

[codemonster]

http://www.p-o-x.com
This kids game is played similiar to how the article describes pocket p2p. the game is a hand held that is played by a user to teach its warrior how to fight. As the trainer walks around town,(mall,school,neighborhood), the game can sense other consoles and battle them. The trainer later sees that his warrior has won or lost a number of battles, and in the process gained abililities or weapons.

Pocket P2P - Multihop Wireless Networks

[hakker]

This will happen, it's just a matter of time. All the research in the networking industry is in wireless. The logic end for that research is fast, functional, multihop wireless networks that trade data via P2P type operations. Not just Palm pilots, but everything. The reason that this is not possible right now is that it is NOWHERE AS EASY AS IT SOUNDS.

There is a major problem with wireless networks in a multihop Ad-hoc setting and it is called Hidden Terminals. Essentially, due to the medium and the hardware, you can't (cheaply) implement Collision Detection or more specifically Carrier Sensing like CSMA/CD protocols such as Ethernet. A terminal between two other terminals can hear both of them, but the terminals on the edges don't know what each other is doing and they may both try to send data to the center node at the same time, resulting in interference and a collision. Here are some research papers if you're really interested but be warned, they are heavy on the math.

CCRG Research at UCSC Publications

And more specifically,
C. L. Fullmer and J.J. Garcia-Luna-Aceves, "Solutions to Hidden Terminal Problems in Wireless Networks", Proc. ACM SIGCOMM 97, Cannes, France, September 14-18, 1997. - There is also a pdf version on the CCRG page.

Enjoy!

Re:Couple of thoughts

[AvatarADVathome]

Except for the biggie - police don't autonomously enforce copyrights like they do with criminal law. If you get pulled over and the cop finds a huge stash of warez in your car, he doesn't haul you into the pokey and contact the BSA! Police do carry out court orders, which can be issued by courts that receive complaints of copyright infringement, but they're not proactive in this arena AT ALL. Now, this might not apply to a couple of the various FBI offices, but they're hardly thick on the ground...

Factoid, from the makers of Itsy already does this

[xee]

Compaq's Western Research Lab has a project called Factoid which already implements what you describe. This project has been around the block a few times by now. Sorry to burst the bubble -- someone already thought of that -- but on the bright side, it was a really smart person, and the idea is still really really good. Check out Factoid here.